Wednesday, May 31, 2017

CMBA Blog Profile: Speakeasy

As an enthusiastic supporter of classic movies, Kristina not only writes about film on her website, Speakeasy, and in The Dark Pages Newsletter, she co-hosts numerous blogathons including the annual Great Villains Blogathon and the O Canada! Blogathon.

She's introduced many well-known films to new classic movie fans, but you might say her speciality is discovering and promoting lesser-known gems. One such film is Highway 301.

"The 1950 crime movie Highway 301 is a good
example of all the reasons I do this," says Kristina. "It's the excitement of discovering a new
favourite, of seeing some memorable technique and style, spotting connections
to iconic and modern films, and the fun of highlighting underrated and overlooked
people and movies."

Speakeasy:
Seeing Hitchcock movies for the first time was big, so was watching the
wonderful Elwy Yost talk about classics on TV (in Canada). Really there was no
one spark, since my family liked all movies, new and old, so I grew up being
interested in everything, and learned not to be a snob, curmudgeon or closed
off to any era, country, genre or subject of movies. I love new ones as much as
classics, I just like to blog classics because they can always use more
attention, and I like to get people interested enough to look at them without snark
or cynicism.

CMBA:
What makes a film a "classic" in your opinion?

Speakeasy:
No matter when it was made, it still has power to move you, it says something
relevant about life today, has lasting value in storytelling, acting or
filmmaking, was groundbreaking, or perfectly captures a universal experience.
To me there’s no strict cut-off date, and there are B’s, guilty pleasures and
recent movies I think are as classic, entertaining and valuable as pre-1960,
art films or Oscar winners.

CMBA:
What classic film(s) do you recommend to people who say they hate old
movies?

Speakeasy:
Depends on what they like and what their complaints are about old movies.
Pre-Codes are a good eye-opener for people who think oldies were tame and
prudish, or didn’t address the realities of life and society. So movies I recommend are: Three on a
Match, Baby Face, Trouble in Paradise, Invisible Man, Horse Feathers, Scarface –
there are tons from that era. Other good gateway movies: The Thin Man, Gun
Crazy, Rear Window, Nightmare Alley, Rio Bravo, My Darling Clementine,
Adventures of Robin Hood.

CMBA:
Why should people care about classic film?

Speakeasy:
Because a good movie is a good movie, forget what year it was made. If you call
yourself a movie fanatic then you should be open-minded and curious, eager to
explore and see how we got here.

Because they’re fascinating looks into history
and how acting and filmmaking developed.

For the thrill of discovery, because
most things have been done before, and it’s always fun to have those eureka
moments when you watch something old and see where Tarantino, DePalma,
Scorsese, Miller, Mangold or whoever, got that thing you like.

For the joy of
falling in love with some new-to-you director, actor, genre or country, and
wanting to eat up everything else they did.

CMBA:
What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

Speakeasy:
Bringing attention to overlooked movies and, in my case, the comments section,
because I’m lucky to have many commenters who know tons about movies. They point
out things I didn’t know, and suggest what I should see next.

CMBA:
What challenges do you face with your blog, and how do you overcome them?

Speakeasy: Finding time and desire to stop and write something when I’d rather use my free
time to watch another movie. Also, since I’m no expert or critic, I often feel
I have nothing new or important to say and I’d rather think and learn more
instead of rushing to do an insta-review – not that there’s anything wrong with
that. But I love to tell people about a cool movie I just saw, so that
enthusiasm is always good motivation.

CMBA:
What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Speakeasy:
Write what the movie made you feel or think, and what point it's trying to
make, don't just sum the plot. Do a blog your way, your voice, your pace, your
taste. That’s what keeps it from feeling like a chore, makes it something worth
writing and reading among the millions of blogs out there.

Kimberly has a fascinating and informative bog and is an expert on the influence of classic film costume on fashion. Her talks and presentations extend her knowledge to many and should not be missed by anybody who has a chance to attend. She is a real asset to the CMBA.

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The Classic Movie Blog Association (CMBA) is a group of blogs dedicated to the celebration of classic cinema. The CMBA accepts new members periodically throughout the calendar year. If you are interested in joining, click here for more information.